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ABC News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Taiwan runs largest defence drills for civilians and military to show it is ready for any moves from Beijing
For more than a week, from train stations to supermarkets, almost every corner of Taiwan has been touched by the island's annual military drills. At a primary school in New Taipei City, children on summer camp played badminton inside a sports hall while just outside, soldiers fired cannons and rifles. They were rehearsing a hypothetical battle against China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). "I was responsible for providing cover from enemy fire," said soldier Zhu Yuwei. "The live training with blanks felt much more intense and realistic compared to the regular training we do at the base." While the scenario feels scripted, the proximity of the kids watching on as red smoke billows from what is normally their school basketball courts also drives home what is really at stake for Taiwan as it comes under increasing pressure from Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party claims Taiwan is a province of China, and continues to insist it will one day join the People's Republic, refusing to renounce the use of force to achieve that goal. Polls have shown the majority of Taiwanese people want to maintain the status quo. In 2024, pro-sovereignty President Lai Ching-te was elected, despite Beijing's protestations that he is a "dangerous separatist". While life in Taiwan largely continues as normal, weeks like this are a reminder Beijing's threat constantly looms. Depending on how long these tensions continue, the kids watching the drills may one day be called up to defend their home. This year, the government has beefed up these annual military drills called Han Kuang, which have been running since the 1980s. They are going for twice as long as usual. In what Defence Minister Wellington Koo said was the biggest mobilisation of reservists during these drills, more than 20,000 have been called up to take part. By upping the ante, the authorities are trying to send a message not just to Beijing, but also Taiwan's allies, especially the US, that it is stepping up and prepared to defend itself. Beijing is already putting the screws on Taiwan in a myriad of ways. Chinese military flights and voyages around and near the island have grown to numbers that only a few years ago were unheard of. Before former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in 2022, Chinese planes almost never crossed the median line, the midway point between Taiwan and China in the Strait. Now, it is a near-daily occurrence. China also routinely signals its unhappiness with Taiwanese authorities by launching military exercises around the island. The pressure manifests in other ways also. Taiwanese officials speak often of "grey zone warfare", actions that fall short of outright acts of war, but still pressure and harass the island. This looks like anything from the cutting of undersea cables that connect Taiwan to the internet and the world, to barrages of disinformation online and work by China's united front, which targets local temples. There has also been a recent spate of high-profile spying cases in senior political offices, with staffers of previous foreign minister Joseph Wu and President Lai Ching-te being arrested and charged. Aides to politicians from the main opposition party, the Kuomintang, have also been the subject of espionage probes. Beijing squeezes Taiwan's international space too. While only a handful of countries have formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, an increasing number of nations are signing agreements with Beijing in which they have to agree to the "One-China Principle", which states Taiwan is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China. More than 60 per cent of UN member states now endorse the One China Policy, according to analysis by the Lowy Institute. Australia and the US, on the other hand, have policies that acknowledge Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of its territory, but do not endorse it. The tensions already had Taiwanese authorities looking to bolster defences, but that has been made more urgent by the second Trump administration. During Joe Biden's term as president, there was a level of confidence in US support thanks to his repeated statements that America would defend Taiwan, even if they were wound back each time by the White House. Now, any guarantee that the US will back it in a conflict with China looks volatile and insecure. President Donald Trump has said Taiwan needs to pay for US protection. In line with US policy, he has also declined to answer questions about whether the US would allow China to take Taiwan by force. "I never comment on that," Mr Trump said at the White House in February. "I don't want to ever put myself in that position." There are, however, already US troops in Taiwan training the local military, the ABC understands. Taiwanese troops are also being trained in the US. "The instructors who were sent to the US last year are now actively engaged in teaching and mentoring roles to ensure the knowledge is transferred effectively," says Major General Kuang-I Chou, after his troops demonstrated a group of new US-made Abrams tanks. The fact is, Taipei does already buy a lot of military kit from the US — the backlog of vehicles and arms that Taiwan is waiting on is worth well over $20 billion. In May, the Taiwanese military started testing the first of its HIMARS — High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — units. They have been used again during the Han Kuang drills. Their range of about 300 kilometres means Taiwan could strike the southern Chinese province of Fujian, just across the Taiwan Strait, and home to several military bases. Late last year, an order of more than 100 US-made Abrams tanks started to arrive in Taiwan. "The ammunition is significantly more powerful than that of our previous tanks, and its firing range is much longer," said Lieutenant Colonel Pao-Shun Ting. "All tank live-fire missions this morning hit their targets. The performance and testing of the tanks were flawless." At the same time, Taiwan has watched the war in Ukraine closely and has started to invest in building a homegrown drone industry, having witnessed their utility in Europe. "Drones will be [useful] in the future and in the future the battle, but drones are not enough," said Professor Ying-Yu Lin, an expert in the Chinese military and Asia Pacific security from Taiwan's Tamkung University. "The most important thing for Taiwan, we need to watch what the PLA [is] learning from Russia." Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, the spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense said the drills were "nothing but a bluffing and self-deceiving trick played by the [ruling] authorities to hijack Taiwan compatriots onboard its 'Taiwan Independence' war chariot". "Whatever subjects they drill and whatever weapons they use, the PLA's resolute countermeasures against 'Taiwan Independence' would not be deterred, nor would the overwhelming and irresistible trend of China's national reunification be stopped," he said. This year's exercises have also signalled a significant focus on preparing the public. The Taiwanese military is only a fraction of the size of Beijing's, so withstanding any kind of war will go well beyond the armed forces. "All-out defence is not only the government's mission, government's duty," Professor Lin said. "Civilians, all the people still need to know what's your role, what can you do in this situation." Community resilience is a huge concern for Taiwan's government. "It's not easy to measure resilience but we have made a lot of progress," a senior national security official, who remained anonymous so they could talk freely, told the ABC. The official said while there "might be an initial period of chaos" during an invasion or conflict, Taiwan's experience in responding to natural disasters, especially earthquakes, puts it in a good position to respond. Urban resilience drills ran alongside the Han Kuang exercise, with every city and county, apart from those impacted by a recent typhoon, holding air raid drills. As part of the preparations, taxi drivers are being trained to become a wartime volunteer police force, the official said. Some drills even included mock protests and clashes that might occur if food and other supplies started to run short. One of the largest cities, Taichung, held an all-encompassing drill that had everything from aid distribution centres to a makeshift wartime hospital in a school's indoor sports hall. At another air raid drill, staff and shoppers at a supermarket had to rush to a basement car park. Families eating at McDonald's were hurried into the same area where they crouched in a brace position for about half an hour. "It helps people understand where to take shelter and how to respond if an attack occurs," said Aaron Kao, a member of the public who was participating in the drills at the distribution centre. "For the public, the best outcome is to avoid war altogether, but if it becomes unavoidable … I would defend our homeland."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
China's military goes all out in space
China views space as a critical military domain, just as it does the land, sea and air. While China's space program is a source of national pride, its authoritarian leader Chairman Xi Jinping aims to displace the USA as the leading space power. This explains the enormous investment Beijing is pouring into scientific, civil and military space assets. So what progress is China making? The US Space Force , in an updated space threat fact sheet published in April, described China's and Russia's advances as "a serious threat to US national security interests in, from and to space". In fact, the release warned starkly, "China is the pacing challenge and is rapidly improving its space capabilities to track and target US military forces. China and Russia are pursuing a wide range of counter-space capabilities to disrupt and degrade US space capabilities." The statistics are certainly impressive. Last year, China conducted 68 space launches. Cumulatively, these rocket launches placed 260 individual payloads into orbit, of which 67 - or 26 per cent - were satellites capable of performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Phenomenally, China's on-orbit presence has snowballed 620 per cent in the past decade. It now has more than 1,060 satellites in orbit, which is 875 more than it had in 2015. Of this array of satellites, more than 510 can perform ISR for the People's Liberation Army ( PLA ) using a range of optical, multispectral, radar or radiofrequency sensors. Live Events Such a satellite network can comb the Earth's surface looking for American aircraft carriers, air wings or other expeditionary assets, for example. A significant example of such an ISR satellite is the remote-sensing TJS-12 launched into geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) in December 2024. The US Space Force claimed, "The satellite could allow China to persistently monitor US and allied forces in the Pacific region." Dr Andrew Erickson, Professor of Strategy at the US Naval War College, commented, "Of fundamental concern is the sheer number of satellites China now has in orbit, particularly for ISR, as part of its systematically building out a comprehensive, capable reconnaissance-strike complex." To rival the likes of Starlink, China is also creating a proliferated constellation of G60 communications satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). By early 2025, 72 were already orbiting the Earth, with 648 expected by year's end. Later, by 2030, a planned 14,000 of these communications satellites will be encircling the Earth. Another Chinese company, the China Satellite Network Group, launched ten communications satellites in 2024, the first of a planned proliferated LEO constellation of 13,000 satellites. Incidentally, after observing Ukraine's use of Starlink in its war against Russia, China is concerned about that network and SpaceX 's relationship with the US government. It fears, perhaps in an overreaction, that these satellites could transmit data and engender new combat styles for the USA. Weapon targeting is another critical utilisation of Chinese space-based assets. Concernedly, the US military stated, "China's improving space-based capabilities combine with the PLA's growing arsenal of long-range precision weapons to enable long-range precision strikes against US and allied forces." In 2015, China publicly announced space was "a new domain of warfare". At that time, it organised space capabilities under the newly formed PLA Strategic Support Force, although this was duly dissolved on 19 April 2024. For managing space assets, it was superseded by the PLA Aerospace Force , whose purpose is leveraging outer space for warfare - such as providing imagery, performing reconnaissance, collecting intelligence, enhancing the accuracy of strikes, and enhancing communications - as well as denying space to adversaries. The importance of the Aerospace Force is seen in the fact that it is directly subordinated to the Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military body in China. John Costello, writing an assessment for The Jamestown Foundation think tank in the USA, said the Aerospace Force does not strictly align with the PLA's regional theatre command construct. This indicates its strategic and functional mission, he asserted. The PLA Aerospace Force has seven primary "space bases", complemented by various bureaus and specialised centres that assure and support space missions. The seven bases are as follows, and their names speak to the type of missions the force performs. Base 23 is the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department in Jiangsu Province. Base 25 is the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in the mountains of Shanxi Province, and Base 26 is the Xi'an Satellite Control Centre in Shaanxi Province. Base 27 is the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province, whereas Base 35 is the newly formed Battlefield Environment Support Base in Wuhan. Base 36 is Kaifeng Base in Henan Province, and it appears focused on space equipment research and development, testing and evaluation, according to Costello. Finally, Base 37 is the Early Warning Base in Lintong, Shaanxi Province. Its mission is space situational awareness, missile early warning and tracking space debris and satellites. Base 37 is thus in charge of several large phased-array radar sites across China to provide an overall picture of space activity and to detect foreign ballistic missiles. Costello commented, "The establishment of the PLA Aerospace Force is more than an administrative reform. It is a strategic statement about how the PRC views the role of space in modern military competition. In Chinese military literature, space is frequently referred to as the 'commanding heights' of future warfare, and the Aerospace Force's creation demonstrates the PLA's resolve to secure that high ground." Costello discerned several implications about China's space warfare intentions. One is that space is integral to PLA operations. "By placing all military space capabilities under one service, the PLA seeks to ensure that space assets can be centrally managed and rapidly brought to bear in a conflict. As with the parallel Cyberspace Force and Information Support Force, the Aerospace Force is a bellwether of conflicts Beijing is preparing for." If China ever invades Taiwan, for instance, then the force would play a pivotal role from the outset. The PLA would attempt to secure space for its own use whilst simultaneously denying it to others. As Costello observed, "This reflects their doctrinal view that the US military heavily relies on satellite capabilities, succinctly captured in the phrase 'no satellite, no fight'." Of course, reliance on space is a double-edged sword, for as China enhances its own capabilities, it becomes vulnerable to enemy action too. The author noted, "During initial phases of a conflict, the Aerospace Force would deploy navigation satellites to guide precision missile strikes, use ISR satellites for target acquisition, and employ anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons to disable or destroy enemy command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities." The second implication highlighted by Costello is that the Aerospace Force "provides centralised space intelligence and attack capabilities, unencumbered by inter-service rivalries. Its technical reconnaissance satellites and the processing centres that interpret their data are unified, theoretically enabling faster targeting cycles and a more complete situational picture for decision-makers." Thirdly, the writer contended that the Aerospace Force "emphasises space control and counter-space". Its broad mission set encompasses space combat, and the PLA is becoming bolder and more provocative in its space behaviour. Costello added, "With the Aerospace Force in charge, such activities (e.g., closely shadowing foreign satellites and testing co-orbital inspector satellites that could double as weapons) may further intensify under a clear military chain of command." Indeed, it is worth exploring this topic of counter-space further. China, although claiming its space activities have peaceful intent, is undoubtedly pursuing the ability to degrade or deny the use of space to countries like the USA. The US Space Force assessed, "Intelligence suggests the PLA likely sees counter-space operations as a means to deter and counter US military intervention in a regional conflict. Moreover, PLA academics stress the necessity of 'destroying, damaging and interfering with the enemy's reconnaissance... and communications satellites' to 'blind and deafen the enemy'." China has already demonstrated its ASAT proclivities. In 2007 it shot down a defunct weather satellite in LEO, creating streams of unwanted debris that will remain in space for decades to come. The Pentagon assessed, "That missile evolved into an operational ground-based system intended to target LEO satellites. The PLA actively trains on this system today." Furthermore, China intends fielding ASAT weapons with far greater reach, extending even to GEO satellites 36,000km away. In fact, China launched a ballistic object in 2013 that peaked at 30,000km, which is suggestive that China already possesses such a capability. This means practically no satellite is safe from China's reach. In addition, China has developed and is experimenting with inspection and repair systems that could function as weapons. For example, in January 2022 the Shijian-21 satellite moved a derelict BeiDou navigation satellite into a graveyard orbit above GEO. The US noted, "This technology could be used in future systems to grapple other satellites." US officials have described some radical Chinese satellite manoeuvres as "dogfighting" in space. Such manoeuvrable objects could approach an adversary's satellites and physically interfere with, damage or dazzle them. Indeed, multiple Chinese SJ- and TJS-series experimental satellites have been observed conducting unusual, large and rapid manoeuvres. As just one example, a TJS-2 satellite was tracked maneuvering at a rapid speed of 44m/s. China may be learning to refuel satellites too. The US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) acknowledged, "China continues to launch and operate highly manoeuvrable satellites, demonstrating an advanced level of technological and operational acumen that, if not already deployed for such purposes, could enable a formidable on-orbit counter-space arsenal. Through the use of these satellites, Chinese operators are gaining experience in developing tactics and procedures that can be used for space warfighting, to include both defensive and offensive advanced space operations." Erickson pointed out too, "While America and its allies have capable countermeasures of their own, it is no longer credible to claim that Beijing may lack essential architecture for targeting its long-range precision strike systems, which include the world's most numerous conventional ballistic and cruise missiles." On the ground, China also has multiple laser weapons able to target sensors on enemy satellites. The US Space Force warned, "By the mid- to late 2020s, they could have higher-power systems able to damage satellite structures." As well, PLA military exercises routinely rehearse employing jammers against space-based communications, radars and navigation systems like GPS. Notably, the US said in its April report, "Intelligence suggests the PLA may be developing jammers to target satellite communications over a range of frequencies, including US military protected extremely high-frequency systems." Returning to Costello's implications of the PLA Aerospace Force's growing capabilities, he highlighted the organization's technological advancements. "The Aerospace Force is able to champion cutting-edge technologies vital for the next generation of warfare. Whether deploying satellite constellations for global surveillance, developing directed-energy weapons to target satellites, or fielding rapid-launch 'responsive space' capabilities, the Aerospace Force provides a focused command to drive these projects." The aforementioned laser ASATs are one example of this. Another instance of advancing technologies is China's three reusable spaceplane launches to date. The first stayed in orbit just two days, but the second and third remained in space for approximately nine months each. The US pointed out that they released "unidentified objects". Simultaneously, China "has made significant strides in developing reusable space launch vehicles". This includes a successful 12km-high vertical-take-off-and-landing test done last year. Reusable rockets are a key technology for meeting China's proliferated LEO constellation plans. Although China is weak in terms of globally spread ground-based space situational awareness sensors - particularly because it does not have the global heft or international alliances to host such stations as the USA does - it has at least ten space-based space situational awareness satellites that do the same job. Chinese government statements conceal the true purposes of its innumerable satellites, especially the more esoteric ones. However, it is clear that Xi and the PLA are reaching upwards to dominate space in times of peace and of war. After all, whoever controls space controls the initiative in war. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Japan Forward
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Forward
In Next Dalai Lama Search, China Should Keep Its Nose Out
このページを 日本語 で読む The 14th Dalai Lama, the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism, has declared that his successor will be selected by the traditional method. That means, after his death, a search will be conducted by Tibetans themselves to identify his "reincarnation." Only the person they identify will become the 15th Dalai Lama. "They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.... No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," the Dalai Lama said. This statement amounted to a stern declaration to the Chinese communist authorities not to interfere in the process. The People's Republic of China has already announced a policy of not recognizing anyone other than its own candidate to become the 15th Dalai Lama. However, there is no way that the Tibetan people will look up to an illegitimate "imposter Dalai Lama." Beijing should end its inhumane, forced assimilation policies and respect Tibetan religion and culture. The 14th Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6. At the age of two, he was recognized by the Tibetan government at the time as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was formally installed in that position in 1940, at the age of four. Chinese police patrol in front of the Potala Palace in Tibet's capital Lhasa in a file photo. (Radio Free Asia via Central Tibetan Administration) However, the People's Liberation Army occupied Tibet in 1951, and the resistance efforts in various places were harshly suppressed. As a result, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet's ancient capital of Lhasa in 1959. He thereafter established a government in exile in Dharamsala in northern India. The year 2025 marks 60 years since China established the Tibet Autonomous Region with Lhasa as its capital in 1965. Ever since, Beijing has encouraged large numbers of Han Chinese to migrate to the region. It has also implemented an assimilation policy designed to strip Tibet of its unique culture and religion. As a result, portraits and photographs of the 14th Dalai Lama have been removed from Buddhist temples and other buildings and replaced by images of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Government security personnel are regularly stationed at temples in Tibet, and numerous surveillance cameras have been installed in their precincts. In effect, the Tibetan people are forced to practice their faith under smothering controls amidst a pervasive atmosphere of fear. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism believe the Dalai Lama to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Kannon. But he is more than just a religious leader. Since the 17th century, the Dalai Lama has also led the Tibetan government. As its highest authority, he has also been a figure uniting religion and the state. Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, exchanges greetings with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in June 2023 (©REUTERS) Regardless of the prohibitions issued by the Chinese government, ordinary Tibetans continue to display portraits and photographs of the Dalai Lama in their homes. China should not turn a blind eye to the reality that the Dalai Lama continues to be a pillar of spiritual support for the Tibetan people. Ever since he began his self-exile, the 14th Dalai Lama has consistently maintained a non-violent stance. Meanwhile, he has also spread awareness of the reality of Chinese oppression to the world. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to world peace, religion, and culture. Regarding this latest statement on reincarnation, the international community, including Japan, should support the position of the 14th Dalai Lama. It must not accept Chinese intervention in a purely Tibetan matter. Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Taiwan live-streams Han Kuang navy mine deployment as troops test metro tactics
Taiwan's navy on Monday live-streamed a minelaying drill to showcase its determination to block and delay a potential amphibious assault by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The display was part of this year's annual Han Kuang military exercise aimed at strengthening combat readiness for a potential cross-strait conflict. The drill, held off the Zuoying naval base in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, coincided with a separate urban warfare exercise in which military police armed with Stinger missiles carried out an underground redeployment – using the Taipei metro system before dawn to transport troops, ammunition and supplies under simulated air strike threats. Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te (centre) oversees a naval minelaying drill on Monday. Photo: AFP Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te oversaw the navy drill, which, like last week's M1A2T Abrams tank live-fire training, was broadcast live for the first time to boost public confidence and showcase operational readiness Monday's demonstration featured fast minelaying boats and LCU-406 landing craft, operating under the protection of amphibious reconnaissance units. Troops deployed Taiwan-made Wan Xiang-series naval mines, including moored and bottom types designed to damage or deter both enemy surface ships and submarines. Play Describing the mines as 'oceanic roadblocks', a minelaying officer said they were cost-effective and hard to remove – a classic asymmetric weapon capable of disrupting PLA landing operations.
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Science
- Gulf Insider
China Warns of Rogue Robot Troops Unleashing
Concerns are mounting in China as the Communist superpower advances humanoid robot development to replace human soldiers on the battlefield, prompting calls for 'ethical and legal research' into this Terminator-like technology to 'avoid moral pitfalls.' An op-ed published by Yuan Yi, Ma Ye and Yue Shiguang in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily warned that faulty robots could lead to 'indiscriminate killings and accidental death,' which would 'inevitably result in legal charges and moral condemnation.' The South China Morning Post reports: The authors cited American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, a set of principles that have influenced discussions about the ethics of real-world applications in the field. The authors said that militarised humanoid robots 'clearly violate' the first of Asimov's laws, which states that a robot 'may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm'. They added that Asimov's laws needed to be overhauled in the light of these developments. They also highlighted legal implications, saying that humanoid robots in military scenarios should comply with the main principles of the laws of war by 'obeying humans', 'respecting humans' and 'protecting humans'. The authors emphasized that robots must be designed with constraints to 'suspend and limit excessive use of force in a timely manner and not indiscriminately kill people.' Additionally, the trio cautioned against hastily replacing humans with robots, noting that robots still lack essential capabilities such as speed, dexterity, and the ability to navigate complex terrains. 'Even if humanoid robots become mature and widely used in the future, they will not completely replace other unmanned systems,' the article said. Concurrently, the U.S. Army is intensifying efforts to integrate robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems, aiming to enhance human-machine collaboration between soldiers and advanced robots on the battlefield, according to Interesting Engineering. Scientists at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) are pioneering advancements in ground and aerial autonomous systems, as well as energy solutions, to bolster the mobility and maneuverability of these technologies, the technology website reports. 'We are bridging the gap between humans and robots, making them more intuitive, responsive, and, ultimately, more useful for the Soldier,' said a lead researcher for the Artificial Intelligence for Maneuver and Mobility program. 'ARL researchers have demonstrated an interactive bi-directional communication system that enables real-time exchanges between humans and robots.' And of course (CGI): Also read: China And India Drive Global Demand For Air Conditioning
